I am suffering from lichen planus since last 8 months.

Hi Marie..Sorry to hear that.I was cured with the steroid medicines given by the dermatologist.

Hi,

My wife is suffering from LP for the past 2 years, I feel very sorry for her and it has started appearing on her face too. We tried consulting the leading dermatologists in and around Birmingham. Unfortunately, we are not able to find a result oriented treatment. Though the doctors have recommended steroid based medication, she is skeptical in trying them.

May you please share bit more details of this plant and the usage of this to treat for LP.

Hi Mdafzal,

St John's Wort (SJW) is a plant that has been used in traditional medicine across the world for thousands of years. In the distant past, it was mostly used externally to treat small wounds, burns and abrasions of the skin, but also internally to "chase demons", a condition of the mind that we might call "depression" today.

Advances in science are now starting to uncover the reasons of this plant's ability to combat many diseases. Among many of its many medicinal properties, scientists claim that the plants' extracts have the ability to combat not only depression and sleep disorders (which has made SJW very popular since the 1990's), but also viruses, bacteria, several inflammatory conditions, and even cancer!

Scientists also have new theories about atopic skin, a general group of skin diseases to which common Eczema, Psoriasis and LP belong. They now believe that skin colonization by certain strains of bacteria, particularly Staphylococcus Aureus, may have an important role to play on the onset of disease.

Well, it just happens to be that a molecule in SJW called Hyperforine is now being recognized as a Super-Antibiotic in the scientific community; SJW has demonstrated an outstanding ability to combat very tough-to-beat strains of bacteria, particularly those in the Staph group. Scientists are so excited about the medical potential of Hyperforine to combat several diseases, that they are trying to find ways to synthesize the molecule economically, so that it may some day become standard medication.

Additionally, SJW apparently has the ability to help repair damaged skin by stimulating the production and differentiation of Keratinocytes (the main cells that make up 90% of human skin). Because of this, there can be little doubt that SJW has the potential to help with several skin conditions. And eventhough I am just an anecdote, I know for a fact that SJW has completely cured my LP and my LSC. This does not guarantee that it will work in a similar way for your wife, but it may be something to consider, especially if she has doubts about currently available treatments.

And don't just take my word for it... I encourage you to do your own research on the Web about SJW, just like I did!

I hope your wife will be as lucky as I was in getting rid of this debilitating disease!

Greg.

I have never taken St. John's wort but I am willing to try. I keep hearing about some of the good and bad with it.

I am 51 year old woman and I eat very healthy. I hardly ever get sick and never taken medications like this in my entire life. I am tired of medications and I am going to get off of them one way or another but need to find out what is working for other people that have this terrible disease. It is not understood and the doctors only want to push prescriptions instead of finding what the root cause of the issue. It is not a common disease so getting information from others that have been going through this is my only option now.

I have had Lichen Planus for the past 3 years now. I have had the doctors biopsy it on my chest. then the Dermatologist biopsied it and the same they called it Lichen Planus like Keratosis. It only started to become worse this past year in April where it was oozing on one forearm. I don't have it in my mouth or genitals but my two forearms are where it was the worse. I even had one in my ear and on my large toe. Very strange indeed. I have been to 3 dermatologist, an allergist and even went to a Rheumatoid doctor because I kept hearing the doctors say auto immune.I have been on Flagyl for 1 month and nothing then I tried Griseofulvin for the second month and still noting. Third month they put me on Mycophenolate then doubled the dose the 2nd month and I was not functional. My labs are clear and normal on all levels every time I draw blood. I recently stopped taking the Mycophenolate and now feeling normal again.

I then went to Chinese herbal doctor that had me take this bitter tea morning and night for 1 week and a black cream to use in the evening and nothing. I have bought every cream Emu oil from Australia, Silver Colloidal gels, Coconut oil, you name it I tried it. I then went to a kinesiologist and she had me take Adrenal, Amoeba Chord, and Cod Liver Fish oil. Still nothing changed. I am still on 15mg of Prednisone and it is suppressing the wound but I know it is not healing it.

I am on this board to hear about anyone else that is going through what I am going through so we as a community can pull together with options for help.

Thanks,

Wendy

Hi Wendy,

Whaw! I can appreciate the amount of efforts you have gone through to get rid of this frustrating disease. Congratulations on your patience and determination in finding a solution!

The doctors you have seen are probably not far off when they say "autoimmune"... It's just that they're probably not aware of the new theories concerning the potential colonization of the skin by specific strains of Staph. Because, if these new theories are correct - and I believe they must be, since I got cured by taking SJW - the bacteria sends a toxine deep into your skin that causes the Mast cells to degranulate, liberating histamine, as if you were being bitten by several mosquitoes at once. That would explain this "autoimmune response" with all the inflammation and itching. So yes, steroids will temporarily cut off the inflammatory response, but not get rid of the tough-to-beat bacteria that is likely causing it!

To come back to the subject of SJW, what have you read that might be " bad" about it? Was it only about taking it at the same time as other medication? In any case, I can only say that I haven't experienced a single unpleasant effect while taking it. I only felt more relaxed all along and slept better; I even had a few vivid dreams that were so pleasant, that I almost felt upset waking up the next day! So I've almost developed an obsession about finding out more and more about what this wonderful plant can potentially do for anyone's health in general. Each person's response is unique, and therefore a few people are bound to have unpleasant experiences, just like with any other medication, but I'm convinced it's pretty rare, since the plant has been in use for over 2,000 years and most current reports are positive.

Something else you might want to try for your lesions is Calendula Oil or Cream. Calendula is excellent at helping repair all sorts of wounds, has antibiotic properties, and is extremely well tolerated, except for those who might be allergic to plants of the same family, such as dandelions. I haven't read about anyone entirely curing eczema-like conditions with Calendula, but most have confirmed experiencing considerable relief.

Hope this can help open up some new potential options... yet there are countless others, if you feel like reading and experimenting more on your own... I realize finding the ultimate cure is often something unique and personal, but I encourage you to carry on! Patience is key! All the best,

Greg.

Well I am going to give it a try. I am going to take 1 pill at 325mg to see how it affects me. I am all for natural so I will keep you informed of my results.

Thank you again!

That's terrific! Yes, I think trying the smallest dose possible of anything new is the best way to make sure our body agrees with it.

I also recall taking 300mg/day of SJW for the first few days of treatment. Since I didn't experience anything special, I then felt comfortable increasing the dose, and quickly started experiencing the positive effects thereafter: first, subtly on my emotions (2 weeks or so), then, significantly on my skin (after 6 weeks). Each person reacts in a particular way, so don't be too surprised if your experience is somewhat different. On another forum dealing specifically with skin issues, I have read about a few patients experiencing great relief with oral SJW in as little as 8 days, yet others had to wait as much as 3 months; so my experience was somewhat in the middle of the curve, even if I ended up curing the disease completely after several months of dedicated treatment.

Yes, I'm convinced everyone on this forum will benefit from hearing about your experience, whatever the outcome!

Regards,

Greg.